Hong Kong preview: Graham Cunningham thoughts from Sha Tin

Up for the Rising as Hayes star brightens the morning

‘Getting to the summit is optional, getting down is mandatory.’

That’s how one American adventurer summed up his approach to the world’s highest mountain and, after a historic Everest bid, the fastest horse on the planet is ready to scale the heights again after a slick AW session at Sha Tin this morning.

It takes a rare horse to fill a media bus at 5.15am - especially when Joe Bananas is still open - but this bleary-eyed Brit is joined by a hardcore group of snappers and scribes to see Ka Ying Rising continue his HKIR prep.

And the world’s best sprinter – make that world’s best horse if you use Timeform ratings as a guide – is all business ahead of Sunday’s LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint.

Fellow HK superstar Romantic Warrior is heading back to his box after a turf gallop under James McDonald as Zac Purton – easy to spot in vivid white jacket - eases Ka Ying Rising onto the AW track at a little before seven.

The formerly fidgety five-year-old bows his head, pricks his ears and, as lesser mortals meander their way up the home straight, arrows through the line to leave smiling handler David Hayes saying: “He’s all ready to go but I think we’ll save him for Sunday.”

Hayes has seen it all since winning the Japan Cup aged 28 with Better Loosen Up in 1990 and is savouring every moment of the journey with his latest ace.

“It’s just such a pleasure to have a horse who’s discussed and rated as high as he is,” he adds.

“Black Caviar is my all-time favourite horse I’ve ever competed against. I didn’t think I’d see another like her, but if he keeps going for another year then he can be compared to her.”

Elegance is an attitude

But there is another comparison, close to home if not in time, as Ka Ying Rising needs just two more wins to equal the mighty Silent Witness by winning seventeen in a row.

The new kid on the sprint block doesn’t make the scales wobble like the hulking former HK superstar, though he’s gained 80lb since starting his relentless rise in a humble Class 4 two years ago.

“I was training here twenty years ago when Silent Witness was dominant and he was an absolute star, a brute of a horse, and it’s a privilege to be chasing his record,” adds Hayes.

“Ka Ying Rising is more elegant in his build and the way he does his job, and he looks incredibly classy when he starts to lengthen from the 600m to the 200m pole.

“In human terms you could compare him to a Roger Federer or a Vivian Richards, as he makes it look so much easier than the other players, but the thing that makes him special is that he absorbs pressure better than any horse I’ve ever trained.”

Purton puts the pressure on

Purton is absorbing the pressure of riding the ultimate HKIR banker with his usual aplomb and smiles as he reflects on a smooth defeat of eight G1 winners in The Everest and a runaway homecoming win in last month’s Jockey Club Sprint.

“Very few horses get to the level this horse has reached and it’s hard to think of another one who seems to get better as the pace gets hotter,” he says.

“If they don’t go hard in the early stages he can climb a bit and get keen, but when the speed is on, he just gets smoother and stronger as the race goes on and that puts immense pressure on anything that tries to go with him.”

That Jockey Club Sprint demolition means it would be folly to suggest Ka Ying Rising’s energy has been sapped by his assault on the Everest.

But maybe we are getting ahead of ourselves in thinking Sunday’s race is a foregone conclusion?

After all, Silent Witness was beaten at 1.2 when bidding for his 18th consecutive win in the 2005 Champions Mile.

Golden Sixty was turned over at 1.05 - undone by a Purton tactical heist on Waikuku - when bidding to stretch his streak to 17 in the 2022 Stewards’ Cup.

And those who wagered ten to win one in last year’s Hong Kong Sprint were made to sweat as Helios Express and Satono Reve began to eat into Ka Ying Rising’s lead close home.

Last year’s placed horses will take their chance again on Sunday, along with the Sprinters Stakes winner Win Carnelian and veteran British globetrotter Khaadem, but Ka Ying Rising’s dominance is such that his fan club are playing dial the distance.

New peaks to conquer

Can he emulate the Japanese ace Lord Kanaloa, who put up one of the most impressive performances in HKIR history when blitzing five lengths clear for his second Sprint success in 2013?

Will Sunday’s conditions help him break Sha Tin’s 1200m track record for the third time?

And can he eclipse the winning streaks of Golden Sixty and Silent Witness before heading back to Australia for another crack at the world’s richest turf race in 2026?

Track records are secondary to getting the job done as the countdown continues, though Hayes feels a sub 67s time is feasible when race tempo and track speed come together.

But with the giddy heights of Randwick in the rear mirror, it’s back to base camp for a Sha Tin showdown.

Hayes didn’t have to send his horse of a lifetime on a 9,000- mile round trip to prove he had the world’s best sprinter.

That bold bid to conquer Everest was optional.

But a flawless 2025 campaign means we are now entering Frankel, Winx, Black Caviar and Silent Witness territory.

And as the global spotlight shines on Ka Ying Rising again this Sunday, the team behind him know that retaining the Hong Kong Sprint crown is mandatory.

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